Abraham t



(N9 Model.)

A. T. WELGH.

CAN OPENER.

No. 470,024. Patented Mar. 1; 1892.

UNITE STATES PATENT QFFICE.

ABRAHAM T. IVELCH, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OFCOLUMBIA.

CAN-OPENER.

SPECIFICATION "forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,024, dated March 1, 1892.\

Application filed January 2, 1892. Serial No. 416,771. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

'Be it known that I, ABRAHAM T. WELCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at WVashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can-Openers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

' The object of the present invention is to provide a cheap and efficient tool for opening cans; and the invention consists of the canopener as hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the tool. Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate the manner of using the tool in opening a can. Figs. 4 and 5 show modifications of the device, and Fig. 6 shows the cut made by the can-opener.

The can-opener A is made of a single casting, and has a semicircular, die-shaped, downwardly-projecting cutting-blade B, bearing a slight resemblance to a horseshoe in shape, and it is provided with a handle 0.

Projecting from the end of the tool and at the upper. edge of the cutter B and at the center of the curve of the same there is a prong D, extending downward parallel with the side of the cutter B. This prong or tooth is preferably made of considerable width in a plane parallel to the cutting-blade at that part of its curve, and it tapers to a point d. On the inner face of the prong D-that is, the face toward the cutter Bthere is formed a shoulder d, well up toward the neck 6 of the prong, and from this shoulder the prong is wedge-shaped in cross-section down to the point. The cutting-blade B is made with a centrally-projecting point I), and from this central point the blade slopes upward in a curve, growing flatter and flatter until the ends of the blade are reached at b.

In opening a can with this tool the can F is laid on its side, and the tool being held in the position shown by Fig. 2 the prong D is forced into the can as far as it will go-that is, until .the neck d" is down on the edge of the can. The broad flat face which the top of the can-opener presents enables this pro n.g to be inserted with great ease, the operator pushing down on top of the tool with one hand while he holds it with the other by the handle. The can is then brought into a vertical position, as shown by Fig. 3, and the handle is pressed down, first forcing the point I) of the cutting-blade B into the top of the can and then as the downward movement of the handle is continued the blade makes a clean cut of the shape shown in Fig. 6. It will be observed that as soon as the down ward movement of the cutter is started, with the can in the position shown in Fig. 3, the shoulder d of the prong D bears against the upper edge of the cut made by the prong in the side of the can close under the edge of the cover and is so firmly held that it cannot pull out while the cut is being made. The leverage given by the handle with the fulcrum so close to the initial part of the cut is very great, and the cutting is therefore performed with ease and rapidity.

' The construction of the tool as above described is the form preferred by me; but it will be seen that the shape of the prong D and also of the cutting-blade may be changed without departing from the essential feature of the invention. For example, the cutter may be given two or more teeth and may be given other shape than that shown. In the modification of the prong illustrated by Fig. 4, instead of forming it with a point to puncture and enter the can, the part D, corresponding to the prong D of the preferred form, is made with a curve d on its inner face, conforming to the general curvature of the side of a small can, and an acute shoulder d In using the tool when thus made the shoulder 61 catches under the downwardly-turned edge of the cover, that in the majority of cans is found on the outside of the can, and is indicated at f, Fig. 3. If the can-opener is made wi th a clean-cut shoulder 01, this construction affords sufficient hold on the can, as it will be seen that in the act of opening a can and pressing the cutter down into the top the shoulder 61 hugs the side of the can and is held under the thin ledge formed by the edge of the tin of the cover. Of course with cans made with inside heads and not presenting the projecting edge of the rim of the cover 011 the side of the can this form of the tool can not be used.

In the further modified form illustrated by Fig. 5 the projecting piece (1" has a slot cut through it vertically, and a rod G, having a number of rack-teeth g at its upper end and a hook g at its lower end, is passed through the hole or slot in the projecting piece (1''. The hook g engages with the bottom edge of the can, as shown, and the can-opener being pushed down on the rod to the top of the can the edge of the slot in the projecting piece (1" catches 011 one of the teeth of the rack-bar g as soon as the downward movement of the lever-arm commences, and thus forms the f ulcrum for the lever-arm in making the out. On account of the close proximity of the center part of the cutting-blade to the fulcrum in making the out, the edge of the tin on the outer side of the cut at E, Fig. 6, between the point e, where the point I) of the cutter enters, and the hole e on the side of the can at the edge of the cover where the prong entered, (or in the modified forms of the tool the position of the fulcrum-point,) is pressed in, forming a smooth rounded edge along that part of the cut. The indentation e, formed in the outline of the central cut portion of the can-cover by the point I) of the cutter, facilitates the lifting of this portion of the cover to remove the contents of the can. The operator is able on account of this indentation to lift the inner cut section of the cover easily by inserting his finger under its edge, and the rounded turned-down edge E of the opposite side of the cut does not present any roughness to cut or scratch the hand either in raising the cover or in removing the contents of the can.

Having thus fully described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A can-opener consisting of a lever-arm having a prong adapted to engage with the can and form a fulcrum, and a die-shaped cutter integral therewith and operating by a downward movement of the lever-arm, substantially as set forth.

2. A can-opener consisting of a lever-arm having a shouldered prong adapted to enter the side of a can and form the fulcrum, and a die-shaped cutter integral therewith and operating by a downward movement of the lever-arm, substantially as set forth.

8. A can-opener consisting of a lever-arm having a downwardly-projecting prongat the end thereof with a shoulder on its inner face. and a curved die-shaped cutter having acentrally-proj ecting point adjacent to said prong, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ABRAHAM T. XVELCIL' XVitnesses:

G. Y. ATLEE, \VILMo'r LAKE. 

